


Jolly

by shieldivarius



Series: Femslash Yuletide 2014 [16]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, Femslash Yuletide, Prompt: Jolly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 03:33:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5441879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shieldivarius/pseuds/shieldivarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha's frustrated by the lack of progress in breaking up the Advent Gang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jolly

**Author's Note:**

> All of the Melinda/Natasha stories in this year's Femslash Yuletide are in the same universe and chronological unless stated otherwise!

The Advent Gang member Natasha had brought in called himself Jolly.

He wouldn't give his real name. He wouldn't give up any identification.

Perhaps worst of all, as far as Melinda could tell—at least from Natasha's perspective—Maria wouldn't let Natasha go anywhere near him.

For the best, probably. Natasha wasn't exactly known for her gentle touch, and letting her near _Jolly_ wasn't likely to end well for anyone involved.

Natasha still wore a sullen expression, though, or what amounted to one for her. Stone cold, pacing up and down the office, refusing to settle down or get any work done.

"Five minutes," she said.

"He doesn't know anything."

"We don't know that," Natasha said. Bullheaded, but she'd said as much in Hill's debrief. Natasha was holding onto hope that Jolly knew something, but until they could at least positively ID him, he wasn't going to be of any use to them at all.

"Hill's afraid you'll affect any legal case that the state mounts against him."

"She's afraid I'll kill him, and I might." Natasha all but showed her teeth when she said it, and Melinda sighed. She was overly— _ridiculously_ —testy this morning. No doubt a result of the scant two hours of sleep she'd managed to get between being woken at three am to bring in Jolly and the morning briefing.

"What if there're seven of them?" Melinda asked, trying to gear the conversation away with a more productive topic. She'd been thinking about it since Jolly had first named himself. It was a weird codename—like he was one of the seven dwarves. Or an elf.

Or at least, like he thought himself an elf.

Natasha gave a more pronounced grimace than Melinda thought the suggestion warranted.

"I don't care how many of them there are," she said. "We have one in custody. Even if he was left behind, he has to know _something_."

Scowling, Natasha went back to the documents scattered on the table in front of her. "Has NYPD already been told to move their perimeter?" she asked. When Melinda nodded, she pointed to another place on the map, closer to the Rockefeller Center, which she'd insisted was the tip of the tree-shaped area the Advent Gang was working in.

"We need a group stationed up here, too. S.H.I.E.L.D., NYPD, someone. I don't want to be caught unaware if they realize we're onto them and start finishing their shape from the other direction."

Melinda made a note. "A smaller contingent," she said. "I don't think they're likely to change things up that much."

Natasha shrugged. "Your call."

Melinda frowned and returned to the overview of the game plan Natasha had laid out. She started striking details out almost immediately, dropping the file down to the table and letting her pen fall on top of it when she was editing more than she was approving.

"You're obsessed," she said, and ignored Natasha's affronted look in favour of ploughing forward. "You have yourself patrolling at least twelve hours a day. Let the uniforms do their jobs."

Natasha pushed a hand back through her hair, messing up the curls. "S.H.I.E.L.D. should've already been in the area when I told Hill I needed backup. They showed up after I was already forced to make contact with the target."

She'd been told off for making chase without being properly equipped for it, too, even though she'd been given orders to go. Melinda understood her frustration.

“I—“

Natasha sighed and made a bit of a helpless gesture with her hands, like she was grasping for something, trying to explain. "I want this done," she said. 

"I think we all—“

"No," Natasha said, cutting across her. "I want this done for  _you._ "  She sounded a little as though she might be choking on the confession. "I don't care how long it goes on, not really. This is my job. But..."

Natasha crossed her arms, looking like she was struggling with what she was saying, and turned away. Like the emotions had a stranglehold on her and she had to fight them back to speak them properly. 

"You want it done," she said, and her voice was so low, Melinda could hardly make out what she'd said.

“Before Christmas,” Melinda said. “But, Nat, I understand that isn’t likely at this point.”

“I can make it happen.”

She probably could, but Melinda wouldn’t see her again until she did. 

"No one's doubting your abilities. They're also not forcing you to do this alone."

"All but," Natasha said. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, anyway. If we don't get anything out of this guy, we're not going to be able to get a jump on them. We just have to wait."

And waiting took time.

"No one wants you to do this on your own," Melinda said. "This isn't worth lone wolfing."

“Just—“ Natasha shook her head again. "Just let me do my job."

She left, her steps jerky and fleeing, and Melinda frowned after her. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Hill.

_'Get something out of Jolly or Romanoff's going to do it for you.'_

Then she sat and waited, looking over the mission files. Nat wasn't coming back to the mission room tonight, not after she'd left like that. Her leaving hadn't just been about her frustration with the mission. She'd opened up, however briefly, and run from the glimpse of her soul in the mirror. 

She'd be back.

At least, Melinda hoped so.

**Author's Note:**

> http://shieldivarius.tumblr.com


End file.
